Every few years — okay, every three days — some critic comes along and declares that rock is dead. I should know: I was a rock critic for a few years and made that occasional pronouncement myself.

But then along comes a bit of musical brilliance like Ryan Adams’s full-album cover of Taylor Swift’s “1989” and you somehow know the genre will do just fine. Still, this isn’t a testament just to Adams, a sure-footed song stylist who’s found all sorts of dark edges in Swift’s musical baubles. Nor is it a testament just to Swift, who, after all, wrote these fine songs (and yes, they are fine and full of smart points of view even as they adhere to the basic commercial rules of pop tunesmith-ing).

Rather, it’s really a testament to the art of the cover. And in many ways, it’s what’s always kept rock so fresh and vital.

Think about it: All the great rock artists have not only found inspiration in other artists, they’ve also covered them. The Beatles did it with Chuck Berry (”Roll Over Beethoven”). The Rolling Stones did it with The Beatles (”I Wanna Be Your Man”). And Devo did it with The Rolling Stones (”Satisfaction”). (Admittedly, Devo isn’t exactly a “great” artist, but that’s still one fun cover.)

These are examples by big names, but I can think of some telling ones by lesser artists, too. A case in point: Tuck and Patti, a jazz-influenced duo, found untold layers of folk and soul in Cyndi Lauper’s quiet little love song, “Time After Time”). A more recent case: the Gregory Brothers, a bluegrass-inspired trio, turned Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” into, well, just listen to it (it’s beyond genius).

Moreover, what about that heartfelt cover Sheryl Crow once did of Rod Stewart’s “The First Cut Is the Deepest”? That is, until you remember the song was recorded early on by Cat Stevens in a jangly version suited to its time? Oh, and yes, Stevens gets bonus points for writing the tune. Still, for my money, nothing quite matches what Stewart, with his raspy baritone, did in conveying the song’s mixed message of hope and raw pain.

I could go on forever with examples. (Jimi Hendrix’s electrified take on Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower,” anyone?) I could also make the case that an entire musical genre — hip hop — is in its own clever way about the art of the cover (or the art of the sample, but the two are not entirely unconnected).

The real point is the cover does more than revitalize a song. It revitalizes rock itself — again and again. As long as rock artists are willing to learn from — and build upon — their history, the genre has a healthy future. (And for the record — no pun intended — rock is very much the dominant genre, accounting for 29% of music purchases, according to Nielsen.)

Which brings me to the greatest rock cover of all time — at least in my book. It was a version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” that stripped the song of all its stadium-anthem excesses (remember how Ronald Reagan mistook the tune as being proudly patriotic?) and made it something straight from the Delta — lean, mean and angry in a pure bluesy vein. A song about a man unfairly scorned by his fellow countrymen.

The artist who recorded it? A guy by the name of…Bruce Springsteen. Yes, even a great rocker can take inspiration from himself. That’s the power of the cover song.

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